The present invention relates to a simulation method for a data record which describes three-dimensional processing by a CNC-controlled processing machine, for example a milling machine.
In the case of CNC-controlled processing machines, a workpiece is either directly coded by a programmer, or the workpiece is modeled with the aid of a CAD system and then converted into an equivalent CNC part program. The CNC part program or the CNC model correspond in this case to idealized processing instructions for the processing machine. The CNC program is loaded into a CNC controller, and the processing machine is controlled in accordance with the CNC program.
There are no problems with this mode of procedure when a workpiece thus fabricated falls within the desired process tolerances of an ideal workpiece. However, when a fabricated workpiece does not correspond to the requirements placed on it, the question arises as to what variations constitute an acceptable workpiece.
It is certainly possible to change sequentially individual processing instructions and/or individual operating parameters of the processing machine, to fabricate a new workpiece and then to inspect this newly fabricated workpiece. However, this mode of procedure is labor and material intensive and hence costly, specifically because it is often difficult to determine the cause of the deviations of the actually fabricated workpiece from the desired workpiece.